This invention relates to alpha-aryl-alpha-phenyl-ethyl-1H-1,2,4-triazole-1-propanenitriles and their use in controlling phytopathogenic fungi. The phenethyl and aryl moieties may be substituted or unsubstituted.
Miller et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,366,165 discloses 1- and 4-arylcyanoalkyl-1,2,4-triazoles and their use against phytopathogenic fungi. However, neither the phenethyl triazoles of the present invention nor the benzyl triazoles were made by Miller et al. Therefore, they failed to recognize the particular class of compounds of the present invention or that this class has a particularly high degree of fungicidal activity. The phenethyl triazoles of the present invention are not only effective against wheat powdery mildew, wheat stem rust and wheat leaf rust but are significantly superior to the benzyl triazoles and phenyl triazoles against barley helminthosporium, rice blast and peanut early leafspot.
European Patent Application 52,424, published May 26, 1982, also generically discloses the compounds of the present invention. However, none of the present compounds were made. In fact, none of the examples of the 52,424 application have a cyano group attached to the quaternary carbon, but include either a hydroxy, methoxy, butoxy or allyloxy group. The three phenethyl triazole compounds which were made and disclosed in the 52,424 application are 4,4-dimethyl-3-hydroxy-3-(1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)methyl-1-(halogen substituted phenyl)-pentanes.
Published German patent application no. 3,216,301 discloses the fungicidal activity of alkoxytriazolepropionitriles.
European application 63,099 discloses the use of chloromethyltriazole to produce a 1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl-methylphosphonium salt.
Published British patent application 2,119,374 discloses a process to make alpha-(alkoxy, alkenoxy, alkynoxy or phenylalkoxy)-alpha-aryl-triazolylmethylacetonitrile compounds.